Switch it Up
by ginnyharryxox
Summary: Angel is Alive! After MArk and Roger have a serious blow out, they discover shocking revelations about each others lives. rated for a couple of bad words here and there
1. Chapter 1

It was a typical day at the Avenue B loft. Roger was sitting in a corner, guitar in hand, trying to write a new song. Every so often you would hear strains of music come out of his guitar, mostly " Your eyes", and "Musetta's Waltz". Although he had written many songs since Mimi's near-death experience, those were the ones he felt most emotionally attached to, and therefore the ones he played the most. Occasionally you would also hear a couple of random chords accompanied by bad lyrics, such as:

I love you/ Mimi/you/ were my/ Song/ you changed/my life 

He was stuck in a rut right now. Not only was he having trouble writing a new song, he had been trying very hard to get his old band back together, but was having a lot of trouble. Him and Mark really needed money. He had managed to get back his drummer, but his back up guitarist had yet to call him regarding the band.

Mark was also trying to get his work done. He was sitting at a table trying to organize film clips. He was in the middle of creating a new documentary. Since they desperately needed money to pay for AZT, food, and heat ( it was extremely cold that winter), Mark had went back to Buzzline. Temporarily, he had said, just until they got back on their feet.

He hated Buzzline. He was still working for Alexi Darling. Once she had got over trying to get him to join, he treated her like his slave. When he was at the office, he spent 50 percent of the time doing work, and the other half running errands for Alexi. She was a nightmare of a boss and he just wanted her to quit already.

But seriously, they had to get their jobs done. Benny had stopped being friendly again (it seemed that he changed his mind every other week), and had threatened to turn them out if they didn't pay the rent soon. To make matters worse, a new medication had came out that worked with the AZT. It would prolong Roger's life, but it cost much more.

Just while they were in the middle of work, the phone rang,

" SPEAK"

" Man, this is Collins" said a deep voice.

" And Angel" said a slightly higher one"

" We're just calling to invite you to the Life with us tonight. Maureen and Joanne are both also coming. Well, if you want to come, meet us at out apartment around 7."

Mark and Roger quickly agreed to go. They always liked hanging out with their friends, and needed a way to keep their minds off the everlasting load of work dumped on them. Angel and Collins were getting the new medication also, but they had a much easier time of it.

Then Roger's beeper went off.

" Take your AZT" Mark said instinctively. He had never stopped saying it, even though Roger no longer needed reminding and would take it on his own.

Roger knew that Mark meant well, but the stress was getting to him.

" I know okay? Just get the fuck off my back! I'm not 2!"

**That was an overreaction, **Mark thought. **I was only trying to help.**

Just then the phone rang again.

"SPEAK"

" Hello this is Jared from Roger's former band? I'm just calling to say that I can't come back because I have a band of my own now. Sorry, good luck finding someone to replace me"

" Crap" Roger kicked the couch angrily. " Where the hell am I going to find a new background guitarist?"

" It's not that big of a deal" contributed Mark. " I'm sure that there are plenty of guys who are just like you and want to join a band."

" Oh shut up Mark you have no idea what your talking about! Just get back to your camera and leave me alone! "

He spent the rest of the day calling everyone he knew that could possibly know how to play the guitar and could join his band. After 3 hours, though, it was clear he wasn't having much luck. Nobody was free anymore. Nobody decent, anyway!

" Shit!' He yelled in frustration after yet another prospective band member turned down his offer. " I'll never find anybody!"

" I'm sure you will" said Mark, but Roger ignored him, too caught up in his huge problem.

The phone rang once again.

" SPEAK"

" This is Arnold Karveii calling in regards to the new band that Roger Davis is setting up. I'd like you to come to my studio, Kablam studios, for a demo tape on Thursday. If you don't show, the deal is off!"

Roger groaned. He had 2 days to find someone new. He picked up the phone and starting dialing. First. He informed Collins that he would not be at the Life. Then, he called more people, even Maureen to see if she knew anybody from theater who could play the guitar decently.

Meanwhile, Mark wasn't having much luck himself. He had this random piece of footage that didn't fit in anywhere. And Alexi the nightmare was insisting on having this particular bit of footage in the documentary. If it wasn't, she said, Mark would not be paid.

" Oh crap! This is too hard. It just doesn't make any sense! Anywhere!"

Roger, in an unbelievably bad mood, replied with a sarcastic " Boo Hoo"

Mark got so mad! " Stop! You have no idea what it's like to be me! Working for the devil herself, pressure, Hard Work- You think my life is just prancing around holding a camera!"

" Well, you have no idea what it's like to be me! I'm constantly worrying about my girlfriend-"

" at least you have a girlfriend! Yours didn't leave you for another girl!"

" Who does drugs even though I beg her to stop- stress- running a band isn't easy!

" Your so clueless!" Both yelled and ran into their rooms at the same time, slamming their door behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Roger woke up in an extremely bad mood, thinking of his argument with Mark the day before, and of the endless calls he no doubt would have to make today. Then he looked around him, and began to get the feeling that something was not quite right.

The first clue that began to alert Roger that all was not as it seemed was the floor. Normally, Roger's floor was covered in clothes, books, sheet music, and other crap. But today, the floor was absolutely spotless, save for a solitary scarf lying on the floor, looking like it had just fell down from the beat up dresser that was sitting in the corner of the room.**Wait a minute, **Roger thought**. I don't have a dresser! What's going on?**

The next clue was the scarf. Roger couldn't remember ever owning a scarf in his life, except for maybe when he was a little kid of 4 or 5. This scarf was white and black, just like Mark's. What was Mark's scarf doing on his floor?

He looked at the wall and saw them dirtyish white, just as he remembered them. However, something was missing. Where was his old band advertisement? His rock'n roll posters?

He looked around the room once more. And again. WHERE WAS HIS GUITAR?

On the dresser, something replaced it. And old video camera.

He began to panic. He stood up and walked to the bathroom, and took a look in the mirror. His own face was staring back at him, but his hair had changed weirdly! It was no longer bleached, spikyish and wavy, but stood up at the top and was a natural blonde color, a lot darker than the bleached hair he had normally had.

He pinched himself.

" OWWWW!"

So it wasn't a dream.

He began to panic now, about to scream. He opened his mouth and yelled out:

" MARKK!"

Within a second, Mark had rushed in. He had Roger's punk style hair and was holding a fender guitar.

" WHAT IS HAPPENING TO US?" Roger screamed!

Mark was looking extremely worried also, but he masked it to sound calm.

" Roger, have you ever seen the movie Freaky Friday?"

" No" he rolled his eyes. " it's a chick flick. My little sister saw it."

" Well, I have, and the characters change places after a big argument. I thinks that's what happened to us!"

" Oh yes" Roger said sarcastically. " get a grip on reality Mark. It's a movie. Movie's aren't real."

" Okay, so if we didn't switch places, what happened?"

" Obviously, you sneaked into my room in the middle of the night, changed my hair, changed yours, and moved me to your room, just to teach me a lesson- all without me waking up. "

" Riiigghtt"

" I am a deep sleeper. Look I can prove it. I'll call Mimi. If she likes me, I'm right. If she's all over you, you win."

In a few minutes Mimi was over at the loft. The second she entered, she walked right over to Mark and began kissing him.

" Hey Marky"

As soon as he managed to break away, Mark looked at Mimi strangely. " Mims, your going out with Roger!"

" NO! Marky, I love you! I've been going out with you ever since " your eyes" ! You okay honey?"

" Yea, I'm fine Mims. Can you excuse me and Roger for a minute? "

They walked into the Mark's bedroom ( now Roger's, apparently)

As soon as they were alone, Mark hisses to Roger " What was that? See what I mean? We must have switched places!"

" Well, then, how come she called you Mark. It's your real name!" Roger was getting jealous.

" I think we somehow switched roles. We're still the same people, but we are just playing a different part in the family"

It was weird, but Roger agreed that that just might be it.

This theory was further proven when Maureen called and referred to Roger as " pookie"

Mark snickered in the background; the kind of thing Roger did all the time.

And it was even further proven when Roger picked up his guitar to tune it, since Mark had no idea how, and it sounded like shit. Mark had never been able to play very well, but when he picked it up he found he had a natural talent. He knew all the chords to any song Roger had ever learned or wrote.

There was no other explanation for this.

Roger was getting very angry now. " What are we going to do about this? I want to be me again!"

" I guess that we will just have to try each other's lives for a while and then maybe this weird curse will reverse itself."

" Maybe" Roger said, unconvinced.

" You teach me to be you, and I'll teach you to be me! It's the only way we won't ruin each other's lives!"

An hour later, Mark was in the middle of giving Roger a lesson about how to deal with Alexi Darling, the boss from Hell.

" And always do what she tells you to! Whatever she wants! You are at her beck and call. Never disobey her. She has the worst temper in the world, and she'd be more than happy to fire you in a second if you make a single mistake. She absolutely hates newbies to the company, and is only nice to you when she needs a favor done. And oh, by the way, you'll have to get that film clip in somehow. Alexi insists on it"

" This sounds like a lot of fun" Roger said under his breath. He had never liked the idea of working in film and was not very excited about it right now.

Roger's instructions were a lot more complicated.

" Just call every single number on this list. Call Ang- maybe she'll know a guitarist. Call anybody! And be as persuasive as possible. Mention about how popular the band was before and how we are so good. Brag a lot. If any one from a record company calls, tell them that you and your band will be there on Thursday and are very excited about that. If my drummer calls, answer his questions. Good luck. Oh yeah, also, WATCH MIMI! You have experience on this. She's not really having any bad symptoms right now, but she does like to hide smack in her apartment. When you go over there, check carefully so she doesn't see you looking. She hates when I talk to her about her use. I don't think she's using at the moment but I don't want to take a risk. Any white powder, take it away and talk to her about it. Tell her that she can't have anymore. When my beeper goes of, take 5 AZT and 4 of the new drug, I forget the name. Most importantly. DO NOT LET MIMI SHOOT UP!

" Good luck Rog"

" back at ya Marky"

Both boys walked towards the door and stopped at the exact same time. In unison, they both yelled " oh and Mark/ Roger- DO NOT RUIN MY LIFE!"

Just then Marks' beeper went off.

" Take your AZT" Roger said.

He had a secret, slightly guilty pleasure from saying those words. After those years of Mark saying it to him, he was finally able to say it to Mark. It was really a moment of triumph for him.

Mark grinned slightly. The tables were turned. He pulled the small pill bottle out of his jeans and took out 5 little white pills. He popped them in his mouth and swallowed them, along with a sip of water. He did the same with the little reddish pills. He practically choked at the taste.

" ROGER! THESE TASTE LIKE SHIT!"

Roger smiled briefly.

" Welcome to my world. How do you like my life so far?"

" Well, I can't lie. It's not that fun. In fact, it's pure crap" Mark admitted. " The only good thing was having Mimi kiss me. That was an improvement on-"

" SHUT UP MARK" Roger roared, but it was friendly. Laughing, both bohemian boys headed out the door to their new jobs and lives.


	3. Chapter 3

Roger's POV

As I step out the door, I feel strange. I don't look one bit like myself, even though my face is the same. Carrying a camera and wearing a ratty black and white scarf, I look like Mark. That's kind of weird. I'm excited though. It's a chance to prove to Mark just how good he has got it compared to me.

Sure, Alexi doesn't sound like someone I am dying to meet, I have to admit, but this won't be hard at all. No matter how much I dislike it, how hard could taking videos.

When I arrive at the Buzzline office, I feel slightly intimidated. It is a large building with a plaque on the front lawn. The plaque reads : Buzzline News. The building is large. I hope I can remember where to go.

I park Mark's bike and stride confidently into the huge lobby. It is bustling, and I am pretty much ignored. Mark did say that no one but Alexi paid attention to him, and I wonder if that's such a bad thing.

According to Mark, Alexi is not even the top dog here. She's one of the film editors, but only has control over a few documentary filmmakers. But she expects Mark to treat her like she's God.

I walk towards the door labeled " Alexi Darling, Film Editor" That's where Mark told me to report at the start of the day.

I walk in cautiously, and see a tall redheaded woman sitting at a desk with the same nameplate as was on the door.

" Roger! Did you manage to fit that film in yet?"

Without waiting for me to respond, she continued " Well, I expect it to be in by the end of the day. We want to publish that documentary by the 14th, so that only gives you 7 days to finish up"

I nodded numbly. We better be switched back by then. I didn't have a clue how Mark wanted that documentary finished. I wondered if I had developed a talent for Photography. I figured that I'd soon find out.

She smiled at me, this evil grin. " Well, get going Roger"

I stared at her, confused. " Wait, what do I do?"

" Go to Starbucks and get me my double Mocha Latte of course! I desperately need it, so you better come back fast. This isn't proving to be a great day so far. When you get back, we'll discuss the next project that I need you to get started on very soon. Oh and roger, please Walk. I don't want you to take your bike, it takes to long to get secured."

She smiled, like the matter was closed. I groaned, hoping she couldn't hear me. I didn't want to walk to Starbucks. I didn't even know where the nearest Starbucks was. Frankly, I didn't care. I had never been to Starbucks. Too expensive and I didn't really like Coffee anyway.

I walked away but then realized something.

" You haven't given me any money" I told her.

" You're paying yourself of course! You always do! After all, you work for me, so you buy me my Coffee!"

I could see what Mark meant. This woman was an asshole. How did he make any money off her, if he had to pay for the coffee that she drank!

I looked at her reproachfully. " How much do you pay me again?"

She smiled in a fake sweet way. " Now Rogey, the pay is on a basis of how well you perform your tasks for me. If your good and helpful. Ca Ching! If you don't do your job, buzz. No money for you! So If I were you, I'd get going!" She flashed another smile, this one irritating and self- satisfied.

I groaned ( quietly) again and stepped out the door. I considered leacing and not coming back, but it wouldn't be fair to Mark. As long as he didn't touch my job, I'd keep his intact. I hate to admit it, but we really need money.

I walked out into the frosty NYC day. I shivered and adjusted the scarf so it gave me as much warmth as possible. I could see why Mark liked this scarf. I held the camera carefully. Mark would murder me if I dropped it, and it wasn't like him to get violent.

" Maybe the coffee will keep me from getting frostbite " I muttered to myself darkly as I continued walking across the street. My legs were getting tired, too. There as no Starbucks in sight. The camera was getting heavy, I was really afraid I'd drop it. How could Mark like to carry it around?

Finallly, after I walked another 14 blocks, my eyes were met with the most beautiful sight ever- a Starbucks.

I rushed in. The line was about 2 miles long. It stretched out of the Starbucks and on to the street.

" Just Great" I said to myself as I joined the line. It was so long, and the piece of pavement I was standing on was even colder than the rest of the sidewalk. " This is so much fun!" I said sarcastically.

I soon discovered that the ones at the front of the line were Rich businessmen in expensive suits with briefcases. That's just the way life is.

That reminded me. I pulled my hand into the pocket of my jeans. I came up with a dollar.

" CRAP" I swore loudly, causing the men around me to turn thet're heads and look at me reproachfully.

However, one man said, "Join the club"

A dollar wasn't even enough for a regular small cup. I really really didn't want to go back to Buzzline and get my Bike, then ride back to the loft to get money.

However, I didn't see another choice, so sighing, I turned around and trudged began to 15 block walk back to Buzzline.

" Mark's life sucks so far" I thought as I walked miserably down the street.


	4. Chapter 4

Mark's POV

As soon as Roger had left, I closed the door and walked to the telephone. Next to it was a long list of numbers. Some of the numbers had little notes next to them. The notes said things like " Do not tell that so and so is our drummer" or " Mention that we are into protecting the environment". This might just be harder than it sounded.

After I got settled on a chair next to the phone, I picked it up and carefully dialed the first number. The note next to it said, " Ask for Jim"

The phone rang on the other end. I held the phone rather nervously.

A gruff voice answered. " Yo"

Slightly unnerved by the yo, I said shakily " Hello. May I speak to Jim"

" Yeah" the guy grunted and then a few seconds later I heard someone new pick up the phone"

"Yeah?" a bored voice answered. " What do you want?"

" Um, um, I'm calling about my room- my band. We need a back up guitarist and I was wondering if you would like the job"

" What's in it for me? The man sneered.

""um" This was going great. " um. Well, this band used to be very popular. " Well. There goes that person.

" Used to be? I've gotten better offers"

And with that he hung up.

What an asshole. I wouldn't want him around the loft with Roger a lot any way.

The next 5 conversations went just the same way. I was dialing the 6th number when I began to wonder how Roger was doing at Buzzline"

"oh no!" I yelled out loud. I had forgotten to tell Roger about Alexi's morning coffee ritual. Every day, she forced me to get her coffee using my own money. If I complained, she took money out of my pay. There was no way that Roger let that go without complaining. My pay was less already, and it had only been an hour since work started.

Thinking about that, I realized another thing. Roger probably didn't have much money with him. He'd probably be back to the loft soon for money. That would put him in a good mood.

Well, at least he understood what it was like to be me now. And I'm sure he didn't like it. Roger hated walking, and it was freezing and at least 2 miles from Buzzline to the nearest Starbucks. And he was slow, too. Alexi would probably yell at him for not getting the coffee fast enough. Ha Ha.

Although I didn't want to, I had to get back to calling. Since Roger was probably suffering at the hands of Alexi right now, the least I could was call a few people for him.

The next number on the list turned to be no more helpful than the ones before it. But I continued calling. Well, it proved something at least. Every single person who played the guitar was an asshole.

Just then. The phone rang. I was excited, thinking that maybe it was one of the people who had not answered so I left messages at their house. Since we screen our calls, I waited for the answering machine to pick up.

" This is Mimi! Marky, pick up!"

Quickly I grabbed the phone. " Hey Mimi!"

" Hey. Do you want to come over and " hang out?"' she asked me.

" I don't know Mimi, I have a lot of work to do."

" Oh come on Marky, Roger's the work-a-holic in the family, not you! Please come!"

That was true! Since I was no longer myself, I didn't have to act like myself anymore. And, lets be realistic, would Roger pass up a chance to be with the love of his life?"

I answered my own question. Of course he wouldn't.

"Okay! I'll be over in minutes!"

" Love you!" Mimi said to me.

" You too" I said. I had to admit, I felt a little bit dishonest saying it, but oh well. Roger didn't want me to get Mimi mad at him did he?

She hung up and I stared at the wall for a second before leaving a note for Roger, just in case he came home and wondered where I'd gone.

_Roger,_

_I'm with Mimi. I called a few people on the list and none of them seem interested.._

I knew, though, that if Roger had been trying to get them to join, they would have been a lot more convinced. He was just more naturally convincing then me.

_But don't worry. There's still a lot more people to try. Sorry I forgot to tell you about the coffee. Don't be too mad. I left 4 dollars on the table, that's how much Alexi's coffee is. Hurry back, you don't want her to be mad. Gotta go now, Mimi's waiting._

Mark 

I smiled as I finished up the note and put it on the table by the door. I made sure to lock the door of the loft before leaving.


End file.
